6 Reasons Why Every Christian is a Minister

Is every Christian believer a minister of God – or is ministry specifically delegated to a select group of people, such as a priest, a pastor, worship leader or evangelist?
According to the Bible every Christian believer is a minister of God. Therefore every Christian is a man / woman of God who has been authorized by God to minister to other people according to the plan and the gifts that God has given us.

In the Bible, the word ministry is translated diakonia in Greek which means “service” or “to serve”.
Therefore Christian ministry is an act of spiritual service with the purpose of edifying others, spreading the Gospel and glorifying God.
This act of service (or ministry) is not limited to a selected few such as a pastor or to someone who is paid a salary by a Christian organization.
Ministry work is not only confined to what one does within the 4 walls of a church building or Christian organization. Instead the work of God extends far and beyond the walls of a building and into the work place, the streets, families, the entertainment industry and much more. Ministry work can be done at any place and at any time regardless of one’s vocation.
Furthermore, ministry is not only about what you do, but it’s also about how you live your daily life.
Therefore ministry can be done by any born again believer who seeks to serve God and serve others and glorify God’s name in any capacity.

 

Below are 6 reasons why every Christian is a minister according to the Bible

1. Every Christian is a Priest and is part of the Priesthood of All Believers
1 Peter 2:5 describes every Christian as being “… like living stones (who) are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

1 Peter 2:9 reveals that all Christians are part of a “royal priesthood” who have been chosen to “proclaim the excellencies of Him who called (us) out of darkness into His marvelous light”.

The act of “proclaiming the excellencies” of God means that every Christian is called to announce, declare, preach and glorify the name of God to others – including proclaiming to unbelievers.
The doctrine of the priesthood of all believers states that all believers in Jesus Christ have access to God through Christ, the true High Priest, and therefore do not need a priestly mediator apart from Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5).
The priesthood of all believers also states that every Christian shares in Christ’s priestly status; therefore, there is no special class of people who mediate the knowledge, presence, and revelation of Christ to the rest of believers. Instead every Christian believer has the right and authority to read, interpret, and apply the teachings of Scripture as lead by the Holy Spirit.

 

2. Every Christian has been given Gifts by the Holy Spirit for the Purpose of Ministry
The Bible states that there are many varieties of gifts for spiritual service which the Holy Spirit has given to whomever He chooses. Therefore every Christian believer has at least one or more gifts that he/she has been given by the Holy Spirit. The purpose of every gift from the Holy Spirit is to edify the Church, to minister to unbelievers and to glorify God.

The gifting by the Holy Spirit authorizes every Christian to use his/her gifts as led by the Spirit, for the purpose of ministering to others and fulfilling God’s plan and purpose.

1 Corinthians 12:4-7 says: Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

Therefore by assigning specific gifts to all believers, God has empowered every Christian to minister so that God’s name is glorified.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are not for a few select believers; instead it is the duty of every Christian believer to discover the specific gifts that the Holy Spirit has given you so that you may minister effectively for His Kingdom and for the plan and purpose which He has for your life.

 

3. No Christian has a Function or Gift that is better than the Other
Every Christian is a minister because in the sight of God all true Christian believers are equal. True Christian ministry requires humility. There is no Christian who is more important than the other. There is no Christian who has better gifts or a better function and purpose than another Christian.
Instead Scripture reveals that the Body of Christ or the Church of Christ is an entity where every part of the Body has a unique and specific purpose where each part cannot properly function without the others.

Romans 12:3-6 says: For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them…

1 Corinthians 12:14-21 says: For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as He chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

 

4. Every Christian has Received the Person of the Holy Spirit
Every Christian is a minister because the Holy Spirit dwells within every true born again believer.
1 Corinthians 3:16 says “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?”

The Holy Spirit has many roles and functions in the life of a Christian. Some of the roles of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian is to be our Helper (John 14:16) who will lead us into all truth (John 16:13) and empower us to bear good fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).

Therefore without the Holy Spirit we cannot display the nature and character of Christ in our daily living and neither can we fulfill the specific purpose God may have for our individual lives. Furthermore without the Holy Spirit, the Body of Christ cannot work together nor function to the glory of Christ.

The Holy Spirit enables Christian believers to work both individually and corporately for the purpose of sharing the Gospel, edifying the Church and glorifying Jesus Christ.
It is therefore the duty of every Christian believer to consistently yield to the Holy Spirit and to be led by Him.

Galatians 5:16-17 says: But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.

Galatians 5:25 says: If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

 

5. Every Christian is Called to Share the Gospel and Make Disciples
One of the primary duties of every Christian believer regardless of our different functions and gifting is to share the Gospel to unbelievers.
As a “royal priesthood” every Christian has the duty of participating in fulfilling the Great Commission by sharing the Gospel concerning the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the finished work He completed on the cross.

Matthew 28:18-20 says: And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.  19  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in  the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Romans 10:14-15 says: But how are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

As Christian believers we are encouraged to not be ashamed of the Gospel because the Gospel is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16).
Learning to share the Gospel and living according to the Gospel is a universal duty of every Christian believer because without the knowledge of the Gospel people cannot be saved and have a genuine relationship with God.

 

6. Every Christian is Called to be More like Jesus Christ
Another primary objective of every Christian believer is to be an imitator of Jesus Christ by reflecting His character and nature.
Your individual life may be the book or epistle that someone reads. How we live and conduct ourselves in our daily living is a ministry to others who are observing our life.

2 Corinthians 3:2-3 says: You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. 3 And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

2 Peter 2:21 says: For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps

Ephesians 5:1-2 says: Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Therefore every Christian is called to minister to others through his/her daily life without hypocrisy and in such a way that Christ is glorified and the Gospel is proclaimed.

 

Conclusion / Summary
It’s not only the pastor, the worship leader, the evangelist etc who are meant to minister.
Instead every truly born again Christian is a minister of God, because God has ordained every Christian believer to be part of the royal priesthood of believers.
Ministry work comes in all forms and methods depending on how God is leading you and how the Holy Spirit has gifted you and equipped you for His plan and purpose in your life.

All Christian believers are equal before God even though they have different functions. Every gift and function within the body of Christ is just as important as the other. Every member of the body of Christ is just as important and integral to God’s overall plan and purpose for His Church.

Ministry is not only confined to what you do within a church building or for a Christian organization – instead ministry is a lifestyle; it is also about how you live because your life might be an epistle that someone reads.

Since Jesus Christ is the only High Priest and He is the only Mediator between God and man, the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers states that there is no special class of people who mediate the knowledge, presence, and revelation of Christ to the rest of believers. Instead every Christian believer through a personal relationship with God has the right and authority to read, interpret, and apply the teachings of Scripture as led by the Holy Spirit.